Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number review – out of order

It’s one of the most violent video games of the year but is this really the sequel that indie hit Hotline Miami deserves?

Earlier this week a reader wrote in to share his surprise that there’d been relatively little pre-release or launch hype for Hotline Miami 2, despite the original being one of the most popular and critically acclaimed indie titles of the last few years. It seemed odd to us too, although now having played the game we begin to understand why: it’s not very good. Not only that but it seems to have a very skewed view of what everyone enjoyed about the original.

This is all very surprising, since the game doesn’t seem to have been rushed (the PC version of the original came out in 2012) and one of the hallmarks of the first game was its bold self-confidence, distinctive visual identity, and highly focused mayhem. But this sequel doesn’t seem to know what to do with itself, and as much as any AAA blockbuster it appears to have been created solely because the previous game’s success demanded it – not because anyone had any clear idea how to move the idea forward.

The basics are exactly the same as before, with Hotline Miami 2 being a top down shooter heavily influenced by Smash T.V. – not just in terms of the control system and the difficulty level, but also the pixelated violence. Hotline Miami 2 takes everything to the extreme though and is not only harder than its own predecessor but is just about the goriest video game we’ve ever played, from exploding entrails when using a shotgun to ripping off people’s heads as they lay bleeding on the ground.

There’s not an enemy in the game that won’t kill you in a single shot, stab, or bludgeon and so stealth and forward planning is just as vital as a quick trigger figure. The top down view allows you to see a fair distance ahead of you, and a lock-on system ensures that you can track enemies as they move about their business.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PS4) – the first rule of sequels: bigger is not necessarily better

The game’s reliance on trial and error is almost reminiscent of Groundhog Day (or we should say the grossly under-appreciated Edge Of Tomorrow) in that when you finally do win, after dozens of instances of dying and memorising what you should do next time, it all suddenly seems surprisingly effortless.

All of this was true of the original game but in the sequel completing an area seems more like discovering a pre-determined solution than creating your own tactics on the fly. Hotline Miami 2 is much more linear than the first game and far too obsessed with its story. The original’s trippy tale of a hallucinating assassin was memorable but actually fairly thinly told and, it seemed at the time, included as much for mood as actual storytelling.

But the sequel has become drunk on its own success and Hotline Miami 2’s story takes in multiple protagonists and multiple time periods, in what we assume is meant to be a Tarantino-esque fable. But the story is so confusingly told it’s hard to really care, and the constant attempts to shock with its violence becomes increasingly tedious and childish – especially as scenes such as the now famous fake rape scene now have options to skip them if you’re easily offended.

The biggest problem with the new story focus though is that it undermines some of the original game’s best features. One of the major elements of the first game was wearing various different animal masks to imbue you with different abilities, from trivial cosmetic changes to game-altering perks. But although some of the characters do use masks the options are, once again, much more restrictive than the first games.

The variety of the original is mimicked by giving the characters you do play as very specific skills, such as not being able to pick up weapons or only using one type of gun. Presumably the intent is to force, rather than simply encourage, you to vary your play style. But given how some characters are far less effective than others it just comes across as another unwelcome intrusion.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PS4) – bloody disappointing

The de-emphasising of masks only furthers the impression that you’re just playing the game the way the developers want you to. Especially as the now much larger levels focus more on ranged combat than the close quarters brawling of the original.

Being killed by an enemy as he rushes towards you, after a fumbled attempt to take him down first, is all perfectly fairly. But being a shot by a sniper who is so far away that you had no way of anticipating his presence is dispiriting and dull.

What’s worse is that the problems that should have been addressed from the original game, primarily the very limited artificial intelligence, have been completely ignored – as enemies (and one of the playable characters who move as a pair) still get stuck on scenery and never seem to notice the bloodied corpses at their feet.

The ’80s electro soundtrack is even better than the first game and the violence even more extreme, but in all other respects this is a massive disappointment. It’s still fun and entertaining for the same reasons as the first game, but almost all of its departures from the original are for the worst. If you’re curious then by all means give it a try, but if it’s your first experience of the franchise it might be better to pretend the original is the sequel and this is the underdeveloped original.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

In Short: A hugely disappointing sequel that seems to misunderstand what made the original gameplay great and is tediously self-indulgent when it comes to its story and violence.

Pros: The basic gameplay is still great and the soundtrack and retro presentation is superb. Larger range of weapons and some inspiringly odd abilities.

Cons: Much more linear than the first game, with an unwise focus on larger levels and ranged combat. Many of the new characters are badly flawed and the storytelling becomes tiresome.